ST. JOHN’S — As Newfoundland and Labrador heads into its next election, Heart & Stroke is urging all political parties to take bold, life-saving action to improve heart and brain health across the province.
With survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests alarmingly low and the healthcare system stretched thin, the time for evidence-based public policy is now. Heart & Stroke is recommending a three-point plan that will help save lives, create a new generation of lifesavers and build a healthier future.
1. Establish a provincial AED (automated external defibrillator) registry
- Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any age, often without warning. It is a medical emergency that immediate action: CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and use of an AED.
- An AED is a safe, easy-to-use portable device that can deliver a shock to restart a heart if needed.
- Despite many AEDs being located across Newfoundland and Labrador, there is currently no reliable, accessible and up-to-date registry that informs 9-1-1 dispatchers or bystanders where to find the nearest device in a cardiac emergency.
- Survival rates drop significantly with each passing minute, and brain damage can begin within minutes of a cardiac arrest. Immediate CPR and the use of an AED can double a person’s chance of survival.
- Heart & Stroke urges the government to establish a sustainably funded, real-time provincial AED registry integrated with emergency services to ensure bystanders can be directed to the closest AED in the event of a cardiac emergency.
2. Make CPR and AED education mandatory in schools
- Schools are the hearts of our communities. Teaching CPR and AED use in junior and high schools provides students with the confidence and skills to act in cardiac emergencies—potentially saving the life of a parent, teacher or peer.
- School-based programs have been shown to provide communities with an inclusive way to educate students and reinforce life-saving skills through repeated exposure. Programs like CardiacCrash™ make life-saving education engaging and accessible and help to build a new generation of lifesavers.
- We call on all political parties to mandate CPR and AED education in school curricula to build safer communities and save more lives.
- Newfoundland and Labrador is facing a growing public health crisis with the highest rates of smoking in the country (14.4%) and youth vaping on the rise.
- Nicotine is addictive and harmful—especially to developing brains. Vaping is linked to high blood pressure, respiratory injury and an increased risk of lifelong addiction. Emerging research suggests vaping is a potential gateway to cigarette use for youth.
3. Raise the legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products to 21
- Together, these actions will enhance heart and brain health for people across Newfoundland and Labrador—both now and in the future—by improving cardiac arrest survival rates, building a new generation of lifesavers and protecting youth from the harms of tobacco and vaping.
- Heart & Stroke calls on all political leaders to put heart and brain health at the forefront of their platforms—lives depend on it.
- We recommend all political parties support legislation that raises the legal age of purchase to 21. Backed by 88% of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, this policy aims to protect youth from experimenting with and becoming addicted to nicotine.
About Heart & Stroke
Life. We don't want you to miss it. That's why Heart & Stroke has been leading the fight to beat heart disease and stroke for more than 70 years. We must generate the next medical breakthroughs, so Canadians don't miss out on precious moments. Together, we are working to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy. Heartandstroke.ca @HeartandStroke
Media contact:
Jessica Weingarten
Director, Communications - Brand & Fundraising, Heart & Stroke
647-426-8454
Jessica.Weingarten@heartandstroke.ca